Awesome that she is pregnant. Good luck! But again, I think it is obnoxious to call someone who is a size 10 plus size. The term plus size has so many connotations and most of them not favourable. With most people in America most definitely being over size 10 (granted many are clinically obese), how is that supposed to affect their self esteem? Let’s think about that for a moment!

Kat
on June 11th, 2010

Remember she is a plus size ‘model’. Most samples sizes are 2s, hence her not being able to model them. Obviously she is not plus size in reality, and in amazingly great shape.

Congrats to her! I’m in my fourth month and can relate to how much your food carvings shift – and sometimes by the week!

Susan
on June 11th, 2010

GREAT for her! I wish her and her husband the best! But, like all others here, I am HIGHLY OFFENDED at her being referred to as a plus size model at a mere size 10!! (I am a size 10 and tall too–I am NOT a plus size!)

Jen
on June 11th, 2010

In the modeling world, a size 7 is plus size.

Shannon
on June 11th, 2010

Congrats! But when in the world is a size 10 plus size. I hate that they put plus size in that box because plus size starts at 14/16 the average size of a woman.

JD
on June 11th, 2010

I have to agree with the other posters: WHY is this woman only considered a “plus size” model? She’s beautiful and appropriately proportioned and is much more “real” looking than those stick-and-bones waifs that model clothes that none of us will ever wear. CONGRATULATIONS to Kate, Gabe and what is certain to be a very loved baby.

angela
on June 11th, 2010

seriously the world has issues!! i know being a plus size is like the absolute “worse thing in the world” to some, but now plus size is a size 10!!!! seriously…the poor little gurls in the world are pressured enough now they cant be a size 10 with out haveing the words “plus size hung over their heads” besides that remark i am very happy for the both of the them!!! ps i am almost 6 foot i dont want to be a 10 maybe a 12/14 but then OMG i will be sooo obese!!!! lol

sarah
on June 11th, 2010

Size 10 is “plus-sized”??? Seriously? People Magazine, you really need to chill on the consistent focus that you have on weight issues. Size 10 is healthy and normal.

klm
on June 11th, 2010

Yes, ridiculous she is plus-sized, especially considering how tall, healthy and in shape she is. What a world. . .

D
on June 11th, 2010

A 10 is NOT a plus size! I don’t know where she’s getting her measuremenst from, but that is NOT true!!! A 10 is no where NEAR plus. That’s insulting for those people that ARE a plus size!!!

tara
on June 11th, 2010

Yes, size 10 is considered plus size, guys. I am a size 10 but don’t shop in the plus size department! Think about it, though, most normal models are a size 2, so the ‘plus size’ models are going to be under the ‘norm’ for the term ‘plus size’. I believe that technically, plus size is considered 14 and up.

F'ette
on June 11th, 2010

Congratulations to the expectant parents! My sincere regrets that there will be no triathlon this summer…

janet
on June 11th, 2010

I agree with most of the posters here, I am offended at her being called a plus size. I am a plus size and sure wish I looked like her! Not just People, but the world needs a new phrase or word for the models of the larger clothes…not plus size that’s me at a 22 not her. Although my clothes don’t really look the same on me lol!

Congrats on the baby, know you are thrilled!

April
on June 11th, 2010

There is nothing to be offended about if you understand that size 10 is a plus size IN THE WORLD OF MODELING. This is because the majority of models need to fit into sample sizes to be successful. My own sister in law models but is only able to do catalog work rather than runway because she wears an 8. No one is saying people that are that size are overweight. Kate has had great success in the industry and that is why her pregnancy is being featured here. Nothing to get upset about. Congratulations to Kate and her husband.

Eileen
on June 11th, 2010

I watched a documentary on Kate a few months ago about eating disorders where she was a participant.
Apparently she walked away from modeling many years ago because she was done starving to be super thin. I guess she came back with a body she loved! Good for her.

Mel
on June 11th, 2010

Size 10 is NOT a plus size!!!!! She sounds like a *real* woman to me!!!!

ohcmon
on June 11th, 2010

Well, great….I was feeling pretty good about wearing a size 8 or 10 because size 12 is average (except in Hollywood where size 0 is average.) And this lovely lady is considered a plus size model because she wears a size 10? I think that’s insane. Have you ever walked through a Wal-Mart? I dare ya to find a size 10 female there!!!!!

Allie-Rose
on June 11th, 2010

I hate it how, in the fashion industry, anything over a size 2 is considered a plus size. And then people wonder why young girls have such a bad image of themselves when it’s shoved in your face that a “perfect” body is one where you see the bones.

Congrats to Kate and Gabe 🙂

Jill
on June 11th, 2010

First -congrats to the parents!

Second – what I find interesting is how “offended” everyone is that this lovely lady is being referred to as a “plus size” model. That’s exactly what she is. Google her and you’ll see everything that comes up about her refers to her as a plus-size model. That is her career – I think she knows that as a size 10 at 5’11” she is perfect for the plus-size modeling world. Yes, a size 10 is considered plus-size. People magazine didn’t assign that title to her – she did when she chose this career. I’m sure if you were to ask her she would proudly tell you that she is a plus-size model. No one is saying that everyone who is a size 10 is “plus size” – however if you were in the modeling world, that’s what you would be.

Third – what *I* find offensive is how everyone says “how can she be plus-size… she’s beautiful and in shape.” There is the assumption that plus-size = fat. That is not the case. Yes, someone who is 5’2″ and a size 10 will have a much different body shape than someone who is 5’11” and a size 10. Besides, plus-size incorporates many more things than being bigger than a size 2. Plus-size models usually are bigger up top, have a curvier shape, etc … but that doesn’t immediately mean they are overweight.

When are we going to learn that “one size does not fit all”? Beautiful women come in all shapes and sizes.

Lisa
on June 11th, 2010

A 10 is most definitely Plus. Just because everyone in America (except in big cities where they get lots of exercise from walking) has blown up in the last generation doesn’t make it right. We can move the mathematical average by eating as much as we want, but we shouldn’t forget what nature intended for us to be.

stella
on June 11th, 2010

hows about..we not have a discussion about her being a size 10 plus size model and focus on the topic at hand..SHE IS HAVING A BABY! congrats!!!!

Anna
on June 11th, 2010

She is a plus size MODEL, not a plus size person. There is a difference. Models are size 0-2, so any model bigger than that is a plus size model.

AJ
on June 11th, 2010

Stella-I agree. Screw the “plus size” talk and focus on the impending birth of her precious baby. Congrats to the soon to be Mommy and Daddy!!

Angelina
on June 11th, 2010

If size 10 is a PLUS size… then why don’t we start calling a size 0 a non existent size? Why is there a size 0? And if I hear one more time that ” those are sample sizes (0-2) … why don’t these DESIGNERS start making the clothes a size 4-6-8? If the designers think they need a size 0 to “show off the shape and design” why don’t they just use a hanger… it’s the same effect!!

D
on June 11th, 2010

Plus size clothing tends to refer to clothing made for women who wear a size 14 in the US or 16 in the UK. A 10 is NOT a plus size. Sorry!

Francesca
on June 11th, 2010

I am offended by Lisa’s comments that we need to remember how “nature intended us” to be (meaning that a size 10 is large, and a healthy person should be smaller.) I am a size 8/10, standing 5’4″. I eat a largely vegetarian diet, jog and practice yoga religiously, and take care of my BEAUTIFUL body–I am not overweight, and I would challenge you to look at a photo of me and tell me I am “not healthy” to my face.

The modeling world is a different place than the REAL WORLD. Ladies, be proud of your bodies, cherish them, and take care of yourself. Dont listen to ignorant people.

Lorelai
on June 11th, 2010

Congrats!!

10 size is healthy curvy but slim beautiful size! I have yet to know a real man that prefers an anorexic tweet over a 8-10 size beauty!

Hope your pregnancy goes well!

Rhonda
on June 11th, 2010

Congrats to her on her expecting a child. But really, I mean when is a size 10 plus sized. I am a size 12/14 and still don’t consider myself plus sized. I think the model industry needs to get a grip!!

Brandie
on June 11th, 2010

I would like to congrate her on her pregnancy. As for the some other comments, anyone smaller than a size 8-10 is not an “anorexic tweet.” As a woman that is a size 4, after giving birth to twins last year, I know that women come in all different sizes, and occasionally I do shop at Wal Mart. The people who said that she is a plus size model because of the standards in the modeling work are right.

Denise Smith
on June 11th, 2010

Why does the article even feel the need to put “plus size” in front of the word model?

At a size 10 she is more the average American woman that the reed thin models we see on the runway.

Anonymous
on June 11th, 2010

Regardless of the size of her body, she is beautiful and congrats on the baby!!

Ali
on June 11th, 2010

I think there are a lot of bitter people posting here. The only ones that are offended at the size 10 plus size model are the people who do not remember being a size 10! If we keep making excusses for all the reasons why fat is beautiful and we should just be happy with whatever size you happen to be then our kids are going to keep living with childhood obesity, we are going to keep dying of cancer and heart attacks in our 40s and 50s. It is HEALTHIER to NOT be a size 14/16/18. Every major health issue out there is linked to weight.

I spend high school and most of my 20s between a 10 and 14. Since then I have had 3 kids and now wear a 6. I feel better physically and ABOUT myself at 33 then I did at 20.

Just some FOOD for thought….

Anonymous
on June 11th, 2010

A size 10 is considered plus-size?! Our society and the fashion industry is soooooooooo screwed up!

swe
on June 11th, 2010

It’s really crazy, but anything over a 2 is probably Plus Size!!

Bobby
on June 11th, 2010

A size ten on most women (not model height) is not healthy. Most Americans are overweight and instead of being insulted at the connotation that size ten is fat, those who are that size and above should take steps to become fitter.

electra
on June 11th, 2010

I’m sensing some bruised egos.

She’s a plus size model, she models clothes and trends meant for plus size women. Agencies on the east coast prefer women size 10/12 on the west coast it’s a little bigger 14/16. These women are usually over 5’8 so a size 14 is never going to look the way it doesn’t on some one who is 5’4.

Is she a plus sized woman? I think that’s debatable. 25 years ago anything over a size 10 would definitely be considered plus size. But with the waistlines expanding in the U.S and abroad size 10 doesn’t seem so big. I honestly think thats because we’ve lost perspective.

Eva
on June 11th, 2010

Size 10 is plus size in most cases. The average american woman is 5’4″, size 10 would be quite large on a 5’4″ woman. There’s no need for people to get offended, but size 10 is overweight. I can see why people would not think so since most Americans are overweight and their view of what is normal has completely changed.
I am 5’8″ and am a size 6 at my healthiest weight. After having a baby, I went up to a size 10 and was definitely overweight. No one can even deny that I was fat when I clearly had a big belly, love handles, huge thighs, and chubby arms. When you’ve got excess fat and jiggling flab on your body, that’s a sign that you ARE overweight or “plus size”.

Fredericka
on June 11th, 2010

No one in the real world considers a size 10 a plus size, however, in the modeling world – yes, it is a plus size when you compare it to the sample sizes models need to fit into.

Positive
on June 11th, 2010

Shame on you POEPLE MAGAZINE !!! A size 10 is a Plus Size???? If Kate is making money “Pretending” to be a plus size model, more power to her, but People should refrain from pointing out that her size is Plus Size because IT IS NOT. You, as a magazine, have the power to influence millions of people and that power makes you IRRESPONSIBLE !!!.

Caitlin
on June 11th, 2010

Oh come on give me a break! Of course Kate Dillon isn’t fat – nobody said that! Just think for two seconds of the size of your average model. Size, 0, 1, 2, maybe 3??? No, Kate isn’t fat. But in the modelling world, a size 10 is plus-sized. The designer clothes she’d model would likewise be considered ‘plus-sized.’ It’s really not hard to fathom.

And most importantly, congrats to Kate and her husband on their upcoming bundle of joy!!

Carissa
on June 11th, 2010

Congrats to her! The experiences of motherhood are a wonderful thing to experience. I think everyone just needs to stop obsessing over “size”. The size of your clothes have nothing to do with whether or not a person is healthy. You can definitely go out on the street and find a size 12 woman who is much healthier than the size 4 next to her and vice versa. Health is NOT dependant on size. Haven’t you ever seen a skinny fat girl? Hey that would probably be me! I am 120 lbs and 5’7 but because of health issues I dont have the muscle tone I did at 140 lbs, so my weight doesn’t show “health”. People just let it go and focus on being the best you and let others be the best them 🙂

Julie
on June 11th, 2010

Seriously…size 10 is plus size? That is absolutely wrong.

Lola
on June 11th, 2010

She should be called a “normal size” model because that is what she really is.

Angela
on June 11th, 2010

Congratulations on the pregnancy. I know that you are considered a plus size model based on the fashion worlds version of plus size. But in life you are not. This is coming from someone who is plus size. However, I hope that my daughter who is 5’9″ does not take these statements to heart about being plus size at a 10. Because she is far from it and there is enough problems with teens thinking they are overweight now and not eating properly. It is sad that someone is considered plus size at a 10.

Amanda
on June 11th, 2010

Bobby and Eva, you are exactly right. Sounds like some people here need to deal with their own insecurities and stop freaking out on People magazine for simply using a term that modeling agencies have entire departments for…”plus size models”. It’s ok, because they aren’t calling them fat despite how you choose to translate it.

Erika
on June 11th, 2010

The fact is sizing is relative. People who are a size 6 in today’s sizes would probably have been a 10 in the 1950s. The same goes for people wanting to claim Marilyn Monroe was a 16 in her hey day- that is a 14/16 by 1950s standards, not 2010 standards. Sizing is not a standard across companies either- which is why pants, tops, and dresses don’t always fit the same if you buy the same size in different brands.

In terms of our descriptions of people, Jill had it right when she said “one size does not fit all.” Plus size/ not plus size – to some extent it is all arbitrary numbers and names. Are you healthy?? Are you porportioned? Then keep moving, people!

Kate is a beautiful woman with a new life on the way- and that is what matters.

Leah
on June 11th, 2010

wow I’m a size 10…didn’t know that was considered plus size considering I purchase all my clothes in the Misses/Juniors section lol…*sigh*

Riss
on June 11th, 2010

I find it funny that so many people are offended that she is listed as a plus-size model, yet they feel it’s perfectly fine to call smaller women names like “twig” and “stick-and-bones waif.” Why is it okay to have a prejudice against one body type and not another? Obese women are hurting their health just like anorexic or bulemic women are. I think we all need to take a look at our own prejudices before we start pointing fingers at others.

Kristin
on June 11th, 2010

There is absolutely no way that a size 10 is a PLUS SIZE!!! What is wrong with people?????? A size 10 is a NORMAL size!!

Lauren
on June 11th, 2010

Okay, Congrats to Mrs. Dillon on the baby news, but HELLO a size 10 is NOT plus size! That is very offensive and I cannot believe that remark.

I am a 23 yr old and I was over 300 pounds when I was 18 and in a size 26… I am now 170 and in a size 12. I am not PLUS SIZE anymore. I am comfortable in my skin and I am very upset with People.com today 😡

dfs
on June 11th, 2010

Mel, ALL women are “REAL,” no matter WHAT their pants size.

While it’s not right to criticize someone for having a larger body frame, it isn’t right to knock on people with smaller bodies either.

dfs
on June 11th, 2010

Positive, I don’t think People should have refrained from saying Kate is a plus size model, because she is. But I don’t think it was neccesary for them to write that she’s a size ten.

debbie
on June 11th, 2010

14 is considered a plus size not 10! I am sorry I am a 12. I guess that makes me a borderline Piggy!

dfs
on June 11th, 2010

“When you’ve got excess fat and jiggling flab on your body, that’s a sign that you ARE overweight or “plus size”.”

Right, Eva, but that has nothing to do with your pants size. There are plenty of 5’4″ women who wear a size ten who DON’T have excess fat and jiggling flab. Some people are wider or narrower than others, some people have more muscle and some people have more fat, etc.

Sage
on June 11th, 2010

Ali please, maybe you felt fat because of your heght and lifestyle cause a size 10 is not PLUS SIZE. Just some Food for thought and don’t worry it’s a carrot so it’s healthy!

As someone who is a size 4, I roll my eyes when I hear a size 10 is plus size because I think its a healthy weight. I think it’s stupid because so much focus is on people who aren’t a size 4 and under, not because it’s healthy but because of fashion, models, and celebs and ‘PEOPLE” magazine deemd sexy.

Jessica Simpson got called fat and was reffered to as plus size and she was a size 6 at the time, to me to world has a deformed image of what healthy is.

Liz
on June 11th, 2010

I think it’s funny that this posting only has the opinions of WOMEN. What do the guys think??

tracy
on June 11th, 2010

I will comment like everybody else about the sadness that a size 10 is considered plus. I am 35 pounds overweight and my doctor called me ‘obese’. No wonder that girls in our society have poor self esteems.
Is she Matt and Kevin Dillon’s sister? I know they have a sister named Mary Kate, just wondering.

Sandy
on June 11th, 2010

SHE’S 5FT 11 INCHES AND SHE’S A SIZE 10—-A PLUS SIZE???!!!
YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FRICKEN KIDDING ME. WHEN IS THIS NONSENSE LABELING OF SIZE GONNA STOP??? STOP SENDING SUCH STUPID MESSAGES TO OUR YOUNG GIRLS. OR SHOULD I SAY, STOP ENCOURAGING THEM TO BE BULIMIC OR ANOREXIC.

Shea
on June 11th, 2010

Not sure what all the outrage is about. Kate Dillon is famous for being a plus-sized model. She has made a career of it. Google her name and you will figure this out in 10 seconds. Save your bickering for the next Katherine Heigl article.

Moe
on June 11th, 2010

Wow, I can’t get over all the fat hate in the comment section. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being plus size. People come in all sizes and for her to be called plus size is not an insult. She’s one of the top plus size models in her field. Kate herself shifts in size from 10 to 14 depending on what is going on in her life. Get over the label and how about sharing in her excitement of having a baby.

Callie
on June 11th, 2010

Since when has size 10 become PLUS sized??? I thought the average American woman was a size 12? I personally think she looks really healthy!

cecily
on June 11th, 2010

She is plus-sized in the MODELLING world. Why are you people getting so offended? People Magazine doesn’t regulate industry standards. Chill.

Nicole R.
on June 11th, 2010

Ladies, let’s stick together. Like all forms of discrimination, weight discrimination is unfair — but that’s true in both directions. You don’t have to bash slender women in order to defend your own weight.

Here’s a cruel quote from “Angelina,” who said “If size 10 is a PLUS size… then why don’t we start calling a size 0 a non existent size? Why is there a size 0? … If the designers think they need a size 0 to “show off the shape and design” why don’t they just use a hanger… it’s the same effect!!”

Hey, I’m a size zero; in fact, I just bought pants from J.Crew that were DOUBLE-ZERO! So it’s not a “non-existent” size at all. Can’t we all just get along? 🙂

cecily
on June 11th, 2010

And yes, those of you are who are a size 10 or up would be deemed ‘fat’ in the modelling world. The modelling world doesn’t extend itself to the REAL world. Although I do think that obesity is being normalized in the US; it’s rather sad.

Lauren
on June 11th, 2010

I think the people projecting their own insecurities onto the term “plus size” and making it sound like People.com called her the c-word are being far more unintentionally offensive than People.com was. It is not news that you need to be extraordinarily thin and tall to be a model, particularly for runway. It should come as no surprise, then, that anyone three sizes above a four would be considered plus size-IN THE MODELING WORLD. That is simply how it is in that profession alone, not the world at large. I think it’s awesome that models like Kate and Crystal (I don’t remember her last name, but she’s considered a plus size supermodel) are seeing so much success and modeling haute couture when they never would have been given the chance ten years ago. But again, the modeling world is not the real world, and so models meant to represent curvier women will still be smaller than the average curvy woman. This is not rocket science and there is no need for people to get so utterly hysterical.

Congrats to Kate and her husband on their baby.

Anonymous
on June 11th, 2010

size 10 is not plus size that is crazy

N
on June 11th, 2010

I am going to speak for myself and say that I was very offended by this article saying she is a size 10 and a plus size model. I am a size 10 and in no way do I feel like a plus size person. It is all about being comfortable with yourself but as a society we should be careful how we represent things because it can have damaging consequences. How many women are now going to go starve themselves to death because they feel that they are fat now. I do not care what is the norm for the modeling world; its not how most of the women in the world are and for the most part it is not healthy either! We need to become a healthier society and we need to be making sure healthy is the norm!!!!!!

Leslie Gorga
on June 11th, 2010

Sizes today have been reconfigured and are now “vanity sizes.” Check it out…Newsweek did a piece on vanity sizing 4 years ago when the size “subzero” (double 0) was created. I remember being 5’2″ in 6th grade back in 1990, getting weighed in gym glass, and I was 115 pounds wearing a size 9. Now, I’m the same height and 10 pounds heavier at 31 years old and wear a 4 or 6, depending on the store (and trust me, I’m no more active now that I was then, nor do I subscribe to a diet as an adult). Things have changed, people. This ain’t your momma’s size 16 anymore.

Amanda
on June 11th, 2010

Yes a size 10 is not plus size, but in the modeling world it is. It’s just like how other models are size 0 or 2 and 5’10 but the average woman is not. That’s just how the modeling world is.
Congrats and best of luck to Kate & her family though!

Green
on June 11th, 2010

Congrats Kate and Gabe. Hope you have a wonderful pregnancy.
I’m a little offened also, because I’m a size 6/8 and I have very low self-esteem. By reading this, it makes me feel worse than what I feel already about my image. This is really sad that a size 10 women is called a plus size woman. Poor girls like me who are reading this right now.

Anonymous
on June 11th, 2010

I do not think that there is anything wrong with being a size 10 or a size 2 as long as you are healthy. I am 5 foot 8 and a size two, and am completly healthy. I have a friend who is my same height and a size 8 with a totally different shape and she too is healthy. We all come in different shapes and sizes, as long as we are healthy nothing else matters. There is alot of bashing and calling women who aren’t an ‘average” size sticks and hangers. We all need to be comfortable in our own skin and realize beauty comes in all shapes and sizes!

hare in PA
on June 11th, 2010

Size 10 plus sized? Sorry. The store where I work, plus sizes start at 14. I really hate when you are looking for clothes and they put plus sized clothing on a skinny, barely nothing to her model. Doesn’t show the real way it will be on a real plus sized woman.

jessicad
on June 11th, 2010

I’m more offended by Lorelai’s comment, anorexic tweet? “real” men don’t prefer that? Why do you feel the need to bash smaller women like that? Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, and every man is different!

I’ve never seen Kate’s work but I have heard her name before, she’s gorgeous. Wishing her a healthy and happy pregnancy:)

katiebabs
on June 11th, 2010

Size 10 plus sized? Good grief!

Clare
on June 11th, 2010

Size 10 is not plus-size!!!!

anonymous friend
on June 11th, 2010

Tracy – shes not at all related to matt dillon

Patty
on June 12th, 2010

Plus Size is a term used in the market when numbers are added to a size
Example — size 8 PLUS 2 = size 10
that’s where the term came from
so yes size 10 considered a Plus Size

dfs
on June 12th, 2010

“But again, the modeling world is not the real world, and so models meant to represent curvier women will still be smaller than the average curvy woman.”

Actually I don’t think models like Kate neccesarily represent “curvy” women. You can be a size zero and be curvy, as well as be a size 16 and not have a very curvaceous body at all. Curvy doesn’t = large build.

nora
on June 12th, 2010

Size 10 is now a PLUS size?

And we all wonder why there are so many young girls who are affected by eating disorders?

leane
on June 12th, 2010

I can’t believe people took this womans wonderful news on the new chapter she and her hubby are beginning and turned this into a size debate.
Unbelievable!

Francesca
on June 12th, 2010

Bobby, Eva and Amanda—you are so wrong!! You can be a size 10 and be healthy!! I weigh 138, well within the BMI standards of “NORMAL” and I am 5’4″ and a size 10.

The anger here comes from the ignorance that a size 10 is considered “BIG, FAT, UNHEALTHY” and it is just plain wrong!

Get over yourselves.

Patti Laskey
on June 12th, 2010

Congratulations to what a normal model should look like and expectant mother! Kudos to her!

Dawn
on June 12th, 2010

I agree with Melissa. Since when is a size 10 plus sized! That’s insane!

FLGirl
on June 12th, 2010

Yes, deal with it, a size 10 is a plus size.

This country will eat itself to death.

Lauren
on June 12th, 2010

“Actually I don’t think models like Kate neccesarily represent “curvy” women. You can be a size zero and be curvy, as well as be a size 16 and not have a very curvaceous body at all. Curvy doesn’t = large build.”

That’s very true-in the real world. But to be successful as a model, you need to have absolutely no curves anywhere if you want to be successful. Models like Kate and Crystal Renn are a new, hopefully growing niche of models; until there is more of a demand for them, the “heroin chic” look will remain the prerequisite body type for modeling. Heidi Klum, who has a body most women would kill for, just talked in a new interview about not being thin enough to do runway shows in Paris. Moreover, a girl I work with mentioned the other day that she was approached at an amusment park and asked if she’s interested in modeling. In my opinion, this girl is not that attractive; I can think of four women I work with off the top of my head who have way prettier, more interesting facial features. But the one asked if she wants to model is about 5’8 and thin as a rail, with no breasts, butt, hips, or any trace of a curve on her. You need an extremely specific type of body to be a successful model, and anyone outside that norm is going to be categorized differently.

Finally, I totally agree with Leslie that sizing is done for vanity in the US. I lived in England for four months and many stores there (Karen Millen, Topshop, etc) have the UK sizing as well as the US equivalent size on their clothing labels. In the US, I normally wear a 2 in tops and a 4 in pants. In the UK, not only was I categorized as a size 10 by their standards-according to them, I am a size 6 in US sizing. I was shocked and put off by that at first, but that’s just the English way-they are very blunt and straightforward in many facets of life, and sizing is no exception. Americans, by contrast, are extraordinarily sensitive, and if companies think stroking egos will bring them revnue by decreasing sizes, they will do it.

My point: If I took UK sizing seriously, I would be considered a plus-size person. Am I plus-sized? No! It’s a jolt to the system at first to think of it as a possibility, but in the grand scheme of things, it is not that serious.

Donna
on June 12th, 2010

Im so disgusted that its accepted that a friggin size 10 is a plus size! No wonder girls have a huge, huge problem with body issues! Get over it stick people!! I’m a size 12 so I must be airlifted to the nearest fat farm.
Sickening. Oh, I guess I should go vomit up my lunch.

Jessica
on June 12th, 2010

I love how the article has to specify that she is not only a model, but a plus size model. Who cares? She’s still a human being and a model. Why should she be defined in those terms??

dfs
on June 12th, 2010

Jessica, she makes her living as a plus size model. I’m sure she’s proud of it and I’m sure she doesn’t mind that the article mentions it.

Helena
on June 12th, 2010

Seriously? All of these people who are complaining that a size 10 is a plus size obviously need to put down the fork, get off the couch, and hit the gym. Don’t keep spewing nonsense about how beautiful and happy you are about being fat. That is EXACTLY the reason why this country is the fattest that it has EVER been! I am 5’10” and I weigh 130 lbs (I’ve had 4 KIDS, by the way!), and I didn’t get that way by eating constantly and sitting on my butt! My husband loves me exactly the way I am but I also know that he’d love me at 20 lbs heavier.
Kate Dillon is a strikingly beautiful woman and I am thrilled that she is having a baby, but its true folks: at a size 10 she is a plus size model. She is also 5’11” and has the height to pull it off! If you don’t like her being called plus size then get off of this site and get in the gym, because it is obvious to everyone that all you are really doing is placing your own insecurities onto everyone else.

Helena
on June 12th, 2010

I love how half all the overzealous people posting on this story were just complaining about being fat in America and their outrage over a 10 being plus sized, didn’t even congratulate Kate on her pregnancy! Shame on all of you!
Congrats Kate, being a mother is the most rewarding thing you will ever experience!

Lena
on June 12th, 2010

I agree Helena, Congrats to the parents to be

jessica
on June 12th, 2010

yea, i’m sorry, but size 12 is “normal”??? um no. size 12 is overweight. no wonder america is the fattest country in the world with that attitude!!!

size 10 is plus size in the modeling world. but regardless, in the REAL world, anyone over size 12 is overweight. no one with a healthy BMI is going to be a size 12 or higher, that’s just a fact.

jessica
on June 12th, 2010

size 12 or higher is FAT.

dfs
on June 13th, 2010

Jessica, a very tall woman with a wide skeleton can wear a size 12 without being fat. And you didn’t need to add that second post. We got your point in the first one.

AB
on June 13th, 2010

Why does People find it necessary to mention what size she wears? Seems a little superficial. Who cares that she is a size 10, 4 or 14? The story is about her pregnancy.

By the way, I totally agree with others, even in comparison to size 2-4 models, a size TEN is not plus-sized by any standard. Give me a break!

susie
on June 14th, 2010

Jessica, at a size 8, people kept asking me if I was sick, because I’m big boned. I could starve down to nothing and never wear anything smaller because of the size of my skeleton.

A 12 on me is average, a 10 is thin according to friends and family. Anything smaller and the ‘anorexic’ or ‘sick’ comments start.

My sister in law is 6’1″ and she can easily wear a 12 to 14 and be considered thin, again, because she’s tall and large boned.

A woman with small bones obviously would be fat if she were a 12, but it’s just true when you have a larger frame. It’s all a matter of how much is bone and how much is padding.

Lorus
on June 15th, 2010

Wow, ladies! If you followed Kate’s career then you’d know she was anorexic for years so she could be thin. She was discovered as a teenager and quickly signed by a modelling agency. She did runways, magazines, photos, etc. Then one day she realized she couldn’t starve herself anymore. She ended up gaining 15lbs and was fired by her modelling agency for being too fat (at a size 8!).
She actually became way more famous as a plus size model. Her weight has also fluctuated so she’s been upwards of a size 12/14 I believe.

Kate
on June 15th, 2010

A size 10 is going to be different at every store. And each piece of clothing is going to look and fit differently on every body type. The pants in my closet range from a size 4 to an 8 depending on the cut, style, and when I bought them. I by no means have a perfect body but I don’t feel like I’m borderline “plus size” when I’m wearing a size 8. This debate is absurd.

Linda
on June 23rd, 2010

Interesting how everybody is offended at a size 10 being a Plus size. 20 years ago, I weighed 152 lbs. (I was 5’6″, though I am now 5’3″) and I couldn’t fit anything smaller than a size 18! When I got married in 1973, I wore a size 10 wedding gown and I weighed 110 lbs. The sizes have been changed to make us feel skinnier. If I was 110 lbs. now, I would be wearing a size 0. And at 150 lbs. I wear a size 10-12. Last year, when I lost a lot of weight, I got down to 125 lbs. and fit nicely into a size 4. So I don’t even pay attention to the numbers. I just know that I want to be at least 115 lbs. permanently, and I don’t care what size I fit into.

Renee CK
on June 24th, 2010

I have been told I am the spitting image of Kate Dillon so I follow her closely. (My husband was “heartbroken” to find out she’s pregnant. I guess happily married wasn’t the nail in the coffin for his hopes of being with her! (:)

There is a lot of plus size hate, but do what Kate did/does- EMBRACE IT and educate people. One interviewer admitted that when he was told he was interviewing a plus size model, he looked for one who was double fisting doughnuts and was pleasantly surprised to see Kate in all her beauty.

I’m not trying to pimp myself here, but I recently wrote a blog about her because she is my doppelganger. (http://skirt.com/reneeck/blog/my-amazing-doppelganger)I love what she says about designers wanting a size 2 because then you look at the clothes, not the womanly body.

This is gonna be one lucky baby. Beauty, brains, and a model mom who is not a walking coat hanger! 🙂